The transportation industry, specifically highway improvement projects, requires the installation of traffic control measures in order to safely perform the work under construction. The majority of these projects are conducted under the oversight of the Federal Highway Administration, State Transportation Agency, and/or Local Public Agency. In most cases, under the oversight of these agencies, highway improvement projects require the alteration of existing traffic signage by means of removal or covering. Removal and replacement is both costly and time consuming, and not a practical or common method. Covering existing traffic signage is the most common method. However, it was realized by the inventor(s) of this disclosure that a number of inadequate methods are currently being used such as bagging with geotextile, trash bags, covering with plywood, or covering with similarly sized sign.
When using a trash or plastic bag to cover a traffic sign temporarily, the bag generally is secured to the sign with industrial tape, such as duct tape. This method generally does not withstand the various environmental conditions. Over time only a partially shrouded sign and duct tape is all that is left of the sign covering. When using plywood to cover a sign, the plywood is generally secured with a bolt driven through both the sign and the plywood and secured with a washer and nut on the rear side of the traffic sign. Over time plywood tends to warp and crack when untreated and exposed to the various environmental conditions. When the plywood breaks down the bolt may no longer secure the plywood to the sign and the plywood may fall to the ground or only partially cover the sign. When using a similarity sized temporary sign to cover an original sign, the temporary sign is generally bolted to the original sign and oriented so that the insignia sides of the each sign are coupled together leaving the back side of the temporary sign exposed, with either a blank surface or temporary insignia. This method leaves the original sign damaged by the holes used to bolt the two signs together.
The inventor(s) have realized there is a need for a traffic sign cover and covering method that is resistant to the environmental conditions, with nondestructive installation, easy to install, and made with durable light weight material. The present disclosure is directed to such an endeavor and others as described herein.